Forms for clinched staples and the like



Oct. 2, 1962 H. HARRIS 3,056,181

FORMS FOR CLINCHED STAPLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 19, 1959 H FIG. IO Up 4: 38 4o 39 42 24 r 4O 23 I9 ,3 23 24" 42 30 3| Q? 0 FIG-9 29/ 52 FIGJB FIG 5 k. N

I34 44 45 CL (1] 2 (my :1 33/ 36 INVENTOR 34 36 ss 1 HERBERT HARRIS,

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llnited grates t atent 3,656,18l Patented Get. 2, I962 ice 3,056,181 FORMS FOR CLINCHEI) STAPLES AND THE LIKE Herbert Harris, Peter Cooper Road, New York 10, N .Y. Filed Oct. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 847,164 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-73) The present invention relates to wire forms which for commercial practice may be clinched staples, each accomplished by bending each leg thereof to make a loop and so used for example, that one loop encircles a string loop carrying a tag and the other leg encircles the edge of an item of merchandise. If the wire form is originally a staple, I am concerned herein with the staple in its ultimate use form, meaning, after it is clinched to efiect the association mentioned. I have no interest here with a staple in its condition before it is clinched though 1 may use special forms of staples for my purposes, nor am I concerned with the clinching apparatus or the means to properly locate the string and merchandise item in the particular use I have mentioned. This invention pertains to novel and improved forms made of wire or strip material that staples are usually made of, which may be of any cross-sectional shape.

The principal object of this invention is to provide novel and improved clinched staple forms in which the wire ends are shielded and the loops thereby closed. I-leretofore it was ditficult to really get a closed loop and the end points of the wire stock were exposed. The wire forms herein taught substantially enclose the end points and the points are positioned so that they overlap wire stock instead of to remain in mere abutment.

Another object thereof is to provide novel and improved wire forms of the character described which may be clinched staples of simple structure, reasonably cheap and which are efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which they are designed, an important use for them being to associate a string loop carrying a tag, with an item of merchandise.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, I provide a piece of wire or the like with a pair of spaced crimps preferably equally spaced from its ends and bring the ends to lie within the confines of said crimps respectively after threading one end through a string carrying a tag and the other end through an item of merchandise as for instance an article of apparel. The wire is of non-resilient bendable material and preferably such that it will break if rebent so that the clinched wire form will act as a seal against tampering.

I will now give a detailed description of several forms embodying the same general principle of this invention, for which I will refer to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary pictorial view showing one of the wire forms embodying the teachings of this invention, associating a string loop carrying a tag, with an article of clothing.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the Wire form included in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a staple which can be used to make the form shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another wire form made in accordance with this invention and FIGS. 7, 9 and 12 are similar views of still other forms respectively.

FIGS, 6, 8, l0 and 13 are top plan views of the FIGS. 5, 7, 9 and 12 respectively.

IG. 11 is a side view of FIG. 9. All the FIGS. 313 are drawn to an enlarged scale. In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally one of the wire forms used to associate the string loop 16 carrying a tag 17, with an article of clothing 18. The

item 15 may initially be a staple as denoted generally by the numeral 119, having crimps 2t) and 21 in the element 22., which bridges the legs 23, 24. These crimps are equi-spaced from the legs respectively and extend in opposite directions in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the staple 19. Preferably, the extreme portions of the legs converge as indicated at 23', 24' and if desired, weakened sections may be made by providing the notches 25, 26 at the respective junctions of the legs with their bridge element 22. Said legs are formed into loops 27, 28 after being threaded through the string loop 16 and the article respectively, but it is essential that the points 23", 24" shall lie in and within the confines of the crimps 20 and 21 respectively, each substantially fitting therein respectively. The loops 27, 28 are preferably to one side of the bridge element 22 and coplanar therewith. The crimps 20, 21 are in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loops 2'7, 28. The points 23", 24" are thus protected from being touched and the loops 27, 28 have less chance of being opened accidently.

In the wire form indicated generally by the numeral 29 shown in FIG. 5, the crimps 3t), 31 extend in the same direction from the bridge element 32'. Otherwise form 29 is similar to the form 15 of FIG. 2. In the form 33 shown in FIG. 7, the crimps 34, 35 extend in the same direction from the bridge element 36 and all the parts of this form are coplanar. In the wire form 37 shown in FIG. 9, the crimps 38, 39 extend in the same direction from the bridge element 4-9 and the loops 41 and 42 are to one side of said bridge element, parallel to each other or nearly so, but perpendicular to the plane of the crimps. In the form 43 shown in FIG. 12, the crimps 44, 45 extend in opposite directions, equi-spaced from the bridge element 46 and the whole form is coplanar.

In the forms 33 and 43, the ends of the wire piece have their end faces against the bights of the crimps, but preferred are the other shown constructions where the ends of the wire piece along its length are against the bights of the crimps, thus overlapping the bridge element and forming positively closed loops as 27, 28 and 41, 42.

The notches 25, 26 may be provided in each of the forms shown so that if there is any attempt to remove the string 16, the wire form would break on the second bend of the wire material and thus act as a seal against tampering; the wire permitting only the first bending operation it was subjected to when it was made into the clinched form.

When any of the clinched wire forms are .initially made as stamples, then in being applied to join two objects, their legs would make holes through them if not already pierced to accommodate. The string loop 16 is really a ring of cord and hence 16' is its hole. It may be deemed an object having a hole therethrough, the same as tag 17 has the hole .17 therethrough. In applying the wire piece to hold the article 18, the point 2'3" would pierce a hole 18 through such item as it is threaded therethrough or create a hole by entrance between threads of which such item is woven if it be of woven material. In all events, we are dealing with a combination where two objects, each having a hole therethrough, are associated by a loop formation in a wire form taught herein, whether each object is on a separate loop as in FIG. 1, or both on one loop as shown in FIG. 2. The scope of the appended claim is intended to take care of both such situations. Though only one loop may be used to engage both objects, the use of the initial staple form would be practical to give balanced action for any clinching apparatus which might be adopted and the staple could be loaded without attention to placing it in a special particular position.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claim rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

In combination with two objects, each provided with a hole therethrough, a piece of wire having two crimps therein, spaced from the ends thereof; each end portion of said wire being bent into a loop formation and the very ends of said Wire piece lying Within the confines of said crimps respectively whereby said loops are closed; each 15 loop having a weakened section which will break upon an attempt to open the loop; said wire being threaded through the holes in said objects where said objects are engaged in loop formation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Brockelbank Aug. 6, 1901 Dickie June 3, 1884 Currier Feb. 19, 1895 Lukens July 14, 1903 Mueller Dec. 24, 1907 Weatherley June 8, 1915 Harris Aug. 14, 1917 Frenette Mar. 22, 1932 Koehl Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada Aug. 28, 1956 

